Today’s Links: Nude women, Special Olympics, and army uniforms

Worker beaten to death in strike for unpaid wagesAn unpaid migrant worker has been beaten to death at a building site in South China’s Guangdong Province and hundreds of his workmates who were striking to get delayed salaries were bashed by thugs hired by the building owner.

Beijing Olympic venue catches fireA fire broke out on Monday at the nearly completed table tennis venue for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, but damage appeared limited and there were no casualties.

Flame of Hope for the 2007 Special Olympics lit in AthensThe Flame of Hope of the 2007 Special Olympic Summer Games was lit in Athens yesterday. It will reach Beijing on September 26, and arrive in host city Shanghai on September 29. The Games have attracted more than 10,000 athletes and coaches from about 160 countries and regions.

Shanghaied into modernitySome liken the destruction of Shanghai’s colonial architectural heritage to the Cultural Revolution, when rampaging Red Guards demolished so much of China’s rich cultural heritage. In its rush to modernize, Shanghai may destroy the very things that made it unique and become just another Chinese city.

World’s largest military to get fresh lookChina’s military is rolling out new uniforms for its 2.3 million-member People’s Liberation Army (PLA), influenced by rising incomes, urbanisation and increased involvement in UN peacekeeping. The changeover, which includes new bedding, is expected to cost 6 billion yuan.